China with a Cut

Jeroen de Kloet is Professor at the Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and affiliated to the School of Music and Recording Arts, Communication University of China. De Kloet’s publications cover Chinese popular music and youth cultures. His ERC project concerns creative practices in China.

“How does sound become local in the global age? This is the question posed by Jeroen de Kloet. As much an ethnography of the subjectivities articulated to pop music practices as it is an interrogation of the assumptions of sinocentricity, this book constitutes a provocative statement on ‘Chineseness’ at the crossroads of contemporary media, everyday life, and geopolitics.” — Rey Chow, Duke University “Jeroen de Kloet provides a rich and fascinating account of the myriad forms of rock in contemporary China. This book transformed my understanding of contemporary Chinese culture – and of rock music beyond Europe and North America.” — David Hesmondhalgh, University of Leeds “An authoritative, scholarly and up-to-date account of an important and fascinating field of popular music which sets a new benchmark in global music studies.” — Tony Mitchell, University of Technology Sydney

• Contents - 6 List of Figures and Tables - 8 Acknowledgements - 10 Note on Romanisation and Publication History - 14 Introduction: Global Longings with a Cut - 16 1. Hard Scenes - 38 2. Hyphenated Scenes - 76 3. Subaltern Sounds - 104 4. Musical Taste and Technologies of the Self - 140 5. Producing, Localising and Silencing Sounds - 168 Conclusion: Paradoxical Performances - 194 Notes - 204 Chinese Glossary - 218 Appendix I Interviews - 224 Appendix II Factor Analysis of Singers - 230 Appendix III Popularity of Singers and Bands - 231 Bibliography - 232 Index - 245